Skillet Chicken for Two
Ingredients:
- 1 Harry & David® Royal Riviera® Pears
- 1 large leek
- 2 boneless chicken breasts (with skin is preferred)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 thick-cut bacon (cut into 1" pieces)
- ½ cup white wine (dry)
Instructions:
- Place a 10" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the bacon pieces to the pan. Stir the bacon occasionally while it cooks and starts to release its fat.
- Clean the leek by slicing off the dark green tops of the stalks and the roots. Rinse it under cold running water, and then slice it in half lengthwise and rinse it again. Slice the leek into 1" pieces.
- Add the leeks to the skillet when the bacon is just starting to brown on one side.
- Cook the leeks for 2 to 3 minutes, until just starting to soften.
- Push everything to the edge of the pan, add the olive oil to the center, and place the chicken breasts skin-side down into the pan.
- Cook the chicken on the first side until it starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Flip the chicken to cook the other side and add the pears to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and toss the pears with the leeks and bacon pieces on the edges of the pan as best as you can. Don't toss the pears too much, or they'll start to break down. We just want a light sear on them.
- After 5 minutes of cooking the second side of the chicken, add the white wine to the skillet. Continue cooking the chicken until it registers 165° F in the center.
- Serve the chicken breasts with the pear, bacon, leek hash on the side.
Notes:
If you can't find them, buy split chicken breasts, and use sharp kitchen shears to cut out the bone and remove the chicken strip. You can place the bones in a freezer bag to make stock later, and put the strips in a separate bag in the freezer as well. When I get enough chicken strips in a bag, I make fried chicken fingers for my kids.